Renowned scholar Robert Alter discussed the enormous challenges faced in translating biblical Hebrew to modern English. Features of style, such as rhythm, word-play, expressive syntax, and significant repetition, are essential to the meaning and the emotional impact of the biblical texts. Alter spoke about the difficult balancing act a translator must perform in getting as much of this as possible into readable literary English.

Emeritus Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of California-Berkeley, Robert Alter is the author of more than twenty books, including his award-winning translation of the Five Books of Moses. He was recently named the 2013 Haskins Prize Lecturer (honoring scholarly careers of distinctive importance) by the American Council of Learned Societies.